Artist Spotlight - Cindy Wider

Artist and author started out in Papua New Guinea 

Tell us a bit about yourself: Did you go to school for art? Are you self taught?

I studied art right through high school, then I graduated with a Diploma from 'Art Instruction Schools Inc. USA' (which I studied by correspondence when living in Rural Australia). I was also awarded a government scholarship to study silk screen printmaking to further develop the style I work in. So my background is in commercial art and design but like most artists I am a continual vacuum for learning.

What inspires you / where do you get inspiration from?
Mostly the memories from my childhood growing up on an island just above Australia called 'Papua New Guinea'. The gorgeous flora and fauna, brightly coloured plumages on the birds and long hanging vines all remain with me in my imagination and just call to be expressed. I am also inspired by the works of many other great artists such as the famous French artist Henri Rousseau, and Modern Primitive artist Raul Del Rio to name a few.

Do you work in just one medium? Several?
I paint in acrylic on paper or canvas and often create studies in realism graphite and charcoal. I  mainly create images in Adobe Illustrator for my art licensing projects. I love working in Illustrator because its so versatile and I can act upon the creative decisions really quickly. I work hard to make sure that my digital artworks maintain the softness of a painted image. I like to breathe soul into the image and inject it with personality.

What are you working on now?
At the moment I am working on my 'Castaways' series (above). The first in the series was 'Castaway in Paradise' which was just shown in 'Art Buyer Magazine' http://www.artbuyermag.com.

The second is 'Castaway Home'. In this line I am expressing the fantasy escape to paradise. I love the whole idea of getting back to nature and through these artworks I aim to connect people back to the roots of where all peace and tranquility resides; within nature.

Anything else you want to tell everyone?
I am absolutely besotted by art, it is my life and I love sharing my knowledge about drawing and painting with others. Besides creating art for licensing, I am also an author and I wrote the soft cover books; 'Paint In Your Pyjamas-every woman's guide to finding your life purpose through art' '12 Charcoal Techniques' 'Six Pencil Strokes' and 'Action painting workshop' as well as 37 ebooks that form the 'Complete Drawing and Painting Certificate Course.' My soft cover books are available on Amazon and you can find my course at http://drawpj.com.

Are you an early riser? or night owl?
Night Owl but only if I am working towards a major goal. I like my bed and believe in regular sleep patterns if I can. I limit myself to working no later than 11pm or 11:30 pm maximum and only up to three nights a week or I start turning into a mad woman due to the upset in my body chemicals.

What is your favorite food?
Oh it just has to be oysters, crayfish, prawns, fish and anything seafood yummmo!

You can find Cindy http://www.porterfieldsfineart.com    
Agent: Lance Klass, President, Porterfield's Fine Art Licensing Sarasota, Florida
email: cindy@drawpj.com     (+44) 01274 985 974

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If you are interested in being spotlighted - email me: anntroe@cox.net

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